26.03.2008 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Deep divide between Secularists and Islamists; Secularists accuse ruling AK party of seeking to overhaul the secular order; AK says the secular establishment will do even a coup d'etat or murder to maintain that order ("Constitutional Crisis Pits 'Deep State' vs. 'Deep State'") [ID 22693]

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18.03.2008 - Source: Deutschlandfunk

Chief prosecutor files request for ban of ruling party AKP for alleged Islamist tendencies; government debating an amendment of constitution to avoid ban ("Tief gespalten") [ID 22689]

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14.03.2008 - Source: BBC News

Turkish state prosecutor asks country's top court to ban ruling AK Party for anti-secular activities ("Move to ban ruling Turkish party") [ID 22687]

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14.05.2007 - Source: Guardian

Secularists pour into Izmir for third week of protests; presidential nomination sparked political crisis ("Million Turks rally against Islamisation") [ID 19892]

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16.04.2007 - Source: EurasiaNet

Ankara: 370,000 people rallied against their religious-minded Prime Minister Erdogan; it was a demonstration that emphasized both the opposition that Erdogan will face if he stands for president, and the depths of the country’s cultural division ("Ankara Protest Opens Window on Turkey's Brewing Culture War") [ID 19661]

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13.04.2007 - Source: Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty

Top general calls for military operations against Kurdish rebels hiding in Northern Iraq ("Turkish General Threatens To Attack Kurdish Rebels In Iraq") [ID 19662]

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13.04.2007 - Source: BBC News

Outgoing President Ahmet Necdet Sezer warns country's secular system is under threat ("Turkey's secularism 'threatened'") [ID 19669]

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28.03.2007 - Source: Armenialiberty

Foreign Minister Gul calls for commission of Turkish and Armenian historians to examine mass killings and deportations of Armenians between 1915 and 1918; still he denies massacres were genocide, describes them as "tragedy" ("Turkey Insists On Joint Study Of ‘Armenian Tragedy’") [ID 19667]

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06.03.2007 - Source: US Department of State

Country report on human rights 2006 ("Country Report on Human Rights Practices 2006") [ID 18910]

For detailed information on recent human rights practices consult the chapter human rights 

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06.02.2007 - Source: Guardian

Current developments in Kurdish questions (PKK in Northern Iraq; worries over independent Kurdish state; impacts of Kirkuk referendum) ("Mark Tran: Turkey looks to US for support in Kurdish conflict") [ID 19680]

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31.01.2007 - Source: Konrad Adenauer Stiftung

Current developments in foreign politics towards Iraq (existence of nearly independent Kurdistan in Northern Iraq problematic, concerns over PKK camps around mountain Kandil in Northern Iraq) ("Aktuelle Entwicklungen in der türkischen Irak-Politik") [ID 19369]

"Das türkische Parlament beriet am 23. und 25. Januar 2007 in einer öffentichen und in einer nichtöffentichen Sitzung über die neuesten Entwicklungen im Nordirak. Welche Bedeutung die Türkei dieser Thematik beimisst, lässt sich anhand der Aussage von Ministerpräsident Erdoğan in den türkischen Medien ableiten: „Der Irak hat für uns einen höheren Stellenwert als die EU“. Man werde nicht tatenlos zuschauen können, wenn im Nordirak vollendete Tatsachen geschaffen würden, so Erdoğan. Dabei geht es vordergründig um die mögliche Eingliederung der Stadt Kirkuk in die autonomen Kurdengebiete. Die Hauptsorge gilt jedoch den Aktivitäten der PKK im nordirakischen Grenzgebiet. Die Aussagen Erdoğans lassen vermuten, dass über militärische Optionen gesprochen wurde und der Druck erhöht werden soll, dass die im Nordirak stationierten Truppen und irakischen Sicherheitskräfte gegen die Separatisten schärfer durchgreifen. Türkische Nahostexperten kritisieren, dass in der Debatte um die Entwicklungen im Nordirak zwei unterschiedliche Aspekte vermischt würden. So müssten die Entwicklungen in der Stadt Kirkuk deutlich getrennt betrachtet werden von den PKK-Aktivitäten. Es sei fatal, wenn Diskussionen über eine Militäroperation gegen die PKK im Norden des Irak so geführt würden, dass der Eindruck entstünde, die Truppen könnten anschließend bis nach Kirkuk weiter marschieren, so der Wissenschaftler Dr. Ibrahim Kalin in der Tageszeitung Zaman."

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01.2007 - Source: Human Rights Watch

Supreme Council for Radio and Television permits television and radio broadcasting in Kurdish; other restraints on minority languages remain ("World Report 2007") [ID 19012]

"The Supreme Council for Radio and Television finally took the important step of permitting television and radio broadcasting in Kurdish, although only for one hour a day. Other restraints on minority languages in the public arena remain. In April, for example, a Diyarbakir court closed the Kurdish Democracy Culture and Solidarity Association (Kürt-Der) for infringing the Associations’ Law by conducting its internal business in Kurdish."

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15.11.2006 - Source: Konrad Adenauer Stiftung

PKK declares one-sided truce ("Gelassene Reaktion auf den EU-Fortschrittsbericht in der Türkei: Politischer Kurzbericht") [ID 18533]

"Die pro-kurdische Demokratische Gesellschaftspartei (DTP) trat am 11. September vor die Presse und rief die PKK zu einem Waffenstillstand auf. Der Parteivorsitzende Ahmet Türk, der Oberbürgermeister der Stadt Diyarbakır Osman Baydemir und die Bürgermeisterin der Stadt Tunceli Songül Abdil erläuterten, dass die freiheitliche und auf Gleichheit fußende Türkisch-Kurdische Einheit aufgrund der Provokationen nationalistischer und chauvinistischer Kräfte in Gefahr stünde. Man habe, so der Vorsitzende Türk, Zeichen der Basis gedeutet, die klare Erwartungen nach Waffenstillstand hegten. Man glaube daran, dass dieser Aufruf auf positive Resonanz bei der PKK stoße. Die PKK hat mittlerweile einen einseitigen Waffenstillstand ausgerufen."

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08.11.2006 - Source: European Commission

Ratification of international human rights law ("Turkey 2006 Progress Report") [ID 19015]

"Concerning the ratification of human rights instruments, the Second Optional Protocol to the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) on the abolishment of the death penalty was ratified in March 2006. Protocol No 13 of the ECHR, on the abolishment of the death penalty at all times was ratified in February 2006. Protocol No 14 of the ECHR, amending the control system of the Convention entered into force in May 2006. The UN Convention against corruption entered into force in June 2006.

Turkey ratified the revised European Social Charter on 27 September 2006. The European Social Charter was accepted with reservations on article 5(right to organise) and article 6(right to bargain collectively) as well as on paragraph 3 of article 2 (minimum annual holidays) and paragraph 1 of article 4 (remuneration and decent standard of living). Turkey has lifted previous reservations on the European Social Charter's provisions, namely the right of children and young persons to protection and the right of disabled persons.

Four Additional Protocols to the ECHR remain to be ratified, including Protocol No 12 on the general prohibition of discrimination by public authorities, signed in 2001. The First Optional Protocol to the ICCPR, signed in 2004, and the Optional Protocol to the UN Convention against Torture (OPCAT), signed in September 2005, also awaits ratification. Ratification of these protocols is a priority in the Accession Partnership.

[...] Overall, Turkey has made progress on the ratification of international human rights instruments and in the execution of ECtHR judgements. However, there is a need to further upgrade the human rights institutional framework."

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06.09.2006 - Source: BBC News

The country is reportedly still staging unfair trials under anti-terror laws; evidence extracted under torture is often used and some people are being held on remand for more than a decade ("Turkey 'unfair trials' condemned") [ID 17743]

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29.05.2006 - Source: Schweizerische Flüchtlingshilfe

Ninth reform package in April 2006 (modernization of administration; military judiciary; anti-corruption measures; immigration and asylum law) ("Türkei; Zur aktuellen Situation – Mai 2006") [ID 19119]

"Der Reformprozess in der Türkei kommt derzeit nur langsam voran: Im April 2006 wurde ein neuntes Reformpaket vorgestellt, das im Juli 2006 verabschiedet werden soll. Der Fokus der vorgesehenen Reformen liegt auf der Verwaltungsmodernisierung. Enthalten sind auch Neuregelungen für die Militärgerichtsbarkeit, Massnahmen zur Korruptionsbekämpfung, die Neufassung des Einwanderungs- und Asylrechts, eine Reform des Präsidiums für Menschenrechte der Staatskanzlei sowie eine Reform des Stiftungsrechts."

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03.04.2006 - Source: EurasiaNet

Country tries to strenghten relations with its neighbours; officials say that it will bring stability to the area; critics accuse governing party of adopting "Islamist" foreign policy ("Turkey aims to foster dialogue between West and Middle East") [ID 18537]

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17.03.2006 - Source: BBC News

Opinion poll shows conservativism of population in matters concerning family and sexuality ("Poll reveals Turkish conservatism") [#46850], [ID 15516]

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